THE FORENSIC ACCOUNTING LONG-SHORT ETF

Transcription

1 THE FORENSIC ACCOUNTING LONG-SHORT ETF INFORMATION PACKET MARCH 31, 2018

2 OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION The Investor s Challenge Forensic Accounting Our Solution 3 PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION Investment Process 8 PORTFOLIO FIT Portfolio Fit 11 PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS Market Capitalization Position Concentration 14 APPENDIX Founding Index Creator Vident Financial 17

3 INTRODUCTION

4 THE INVESTOR S CHALLENGES Most investors want a core U.S. market allocation. However, investing in a market-cap weighted index means CONCENTRATION RISKS The majority of your returns come from the top names only The top 50 stocks in the S&P 500 account for 47% of the index weight 64% of the S&P 500 is allocated to the top 100 stocks VALUATION RISKS If a stock is overpriced, in a cap weighted portfolio you hold more of it Perhaps similar to actively managed funds, you are trusting other investors to analyze and value stocks appropriately REDUCED GROWTH POTENTIAL By the time most companies become a large enough portion of the index to matter to your returns, a large portion of their growth potential may be behind them POOR QUALITY You own the best stocks, but also the worst You are trusting companies to deliver fair and transparent financial statements 4

5 THE INVESTOR S CHALLENGES Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) accounting is standardized but companies have wide latitude to interpret rules. Not all companies are equal. Earnings quality is important. Even a cheap, low P/E company can be expensive if earnings are inflated Managers are incentivized to see their stock price rise. And their tenures may be short. Some may utilize aggressive accounting to front-load revenues What if assets are overstated? What if numerous acquisitions are helping to mask growing expenses? 5

6 FORENSIC ACCOUNTING Forensic Accounting Dissects companies financial statements Attempts to identify the red flags of aggressive accounting and revenue recognition practices RED FLAGS Accelerated revenue recognition Inventory issues Unsustainable margin expansion Financial ratio adjustments Irresponsible dividends & share repurchases Unmaintainable profits Low quality earnings Portfolio Implications The ability to assess companies revenue quality, earnings sustainability, and cash flow consistency provides investors with potential excess returns from: Buying higher quality companies Avoiding or shorting low quality companies 6

7 OUR SOLUTION Forensic Accounting Long-Short ETF (FLAG) seeks to Enhance investor s U.S. large cap exposure Higher quality stocks More attractive valuations Provide investor s with two sources of return Market exposure (beta): Full participation in the U.S. equity market Stock Selection (alpha): The Forensic Accounting Long-Short Index selects and shorts stocks systematically based on forensic accounting analysis, diversifying risks and generating active returns 7

8 PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION

9 INVESTMENT PROCESS DEFINE 1000 of the top largest capitalized US stocks are considered for the portfolio ANALYZE Forensic accounting analysis is performed on each stock SCORE Stocks are ranked and scored SELECT The highest scored stocks are selected for long positions while the lowest scored stocks are shorted to create a 130% long and 30% short portfolio 9

10 INVESTMENT PROCESS UNIVERSE Top 1000 U.S. Large Cap stocks Quarterly rebalance MULTI FACTOR FORENSIC ACCOUNTING SCORE Stock scored and ranked across five criteria: Revenue Recognition Cash Flow Quality Earnings Quality Valuation Shareholder Yield Scores are combined to create a composite ranking PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION Long highest ranked stocks Short lowest ranked stocks Subject to risk controls Long exposure = 130% Short exposure = -30% RISK CONTROLS Max long position size = 1% Max short position size = 0.75% Active sector allocation limits = 2% 10

11 PORTFOLIO FIT

12 PORTFOLIO FIT FLAG may serve well as a complement to other US index-based allocations HIGHER QUALITY STOCKS Forensic accounting to select stocks with more sustainable earnings and cash flows ENHANCED RETURN POTENTIAL Two sources of returns: Beta participation in the U.S. market returns Alpha The Forensic Accounting Long-Short Index selects stocks via forensic accounting Quality & Value factors are well supported by academic literature IMPROVED RISK EFFICIENCY Diversified sources of returns offer potential risk efficiency improvements 12

13 PORTFOLIO FIT FLAG may also serve as a replacement for a US active manager INSIGHT The FLAG Index employs many of the same valuation and quality insights active managers use to select stocks REDUCED BEHAVIORAL BIAS FLAG s investment process reduces some of the behavioral biases that can lead to underperformance GREATER TRANSPARENCY FLAG s holdings are visible to investors at all times LOWER FEES FLAG s management fee is lower than most active managers TAX EFFICIENT FLAG s ETF structure allows for greater tax efficiency than a traditional mutual fund 13

14 PORTFOLIO CHARACTERISTICS

15 MARKET CAP The FLAG ETF s predominantly large-cap exposure comes from selecting stocks from among the top 500 largest in the U.S. Large Cap, 51.3% Large Cap, Large 40.9% Cap, 50.9% Mid Cap, 48.7% Mid Cap, 59.1% 49.1% Long exposures Short exposures The index was constructed with a 100% net equity exposure (130% long, 30% short). The net equity exposure is calculated above. Large cap is defined as stocks with greater than $10Bn in total market capitalization. Mid cap is defined as stocks with $2Bn to $10Bn in market capitalization. Data as of 3/31/18. 15

16 POSITION CONCENTRATION FLAG ETF is well diversified, historically averaging 180 total holdings 136 Long 42 Short Number of Holdings FLAG Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Nominal Effective Nominal Effective Long Short Total FLAG ETF is less concentrated in individual stocks than a cap weighted alternative Long FLAG Top Holdings Short Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Top Holding 1.16% -0.78% 3.44% Top 5 Holdings 5.33% -3.83% 11.72% Top 10 Holdings 10.45% -7.57% 18.43% Diversification may not protect against market risk. The effective number of stocks is calculated by taking the inverse of the sum of squared stock weights and measures the index concentration within the portfolio. Data as of 3/31/18. 16

17 DISCLOSURE Carefully consider the Forensic Accounting Long-Short Fund's investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Forensic Accounting Long-Short Fund's prospectus, which may be obtained by visiting Potential investors are advised to read the prospectus carefully before investing. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The FLAG-Forensic Accounting Long-Short ETF was formerly known as the WeatherStorm Forensic Accounting Long-Short ETF. The index the ETF tracks was formerly known as the WeatherStorm Forensic Accounting Long-Short Index. The Forensic Accounting Long-Short Index is a forensic accounting-based alternative strategy that seeks to emphasize high-quality stocks at attractive valuations, while shorting stocks with less attractive valuations. With short sales, you risk paying more for a security than you received from its sale. Short sales losses are potentially unlimited and the expenses involved with the shorting strategy may negatively impact the performance of the fund. The use of leverage by the fund managers may accelerate the velocity of potential losses. Note: It is not possible to invest directly in an index. There is no guarantee that the Fund or the index will achieve its investment objective. The Fund has the same risks as the underlying securities traded on the exchange throughout the day at market price. Redemptions are limited and often commissions are charged on each trade. A fund that concentrates its investments in the securities of a particular industry or geographic area may be more volatile than a fund that invests in a broader range of industries. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of the Index. Because the Fund employs a representative sampling strategy and may also invest up to 20% of its assets in securities that are not included in the Index, the Funds may experience tracking error to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of securities included in, the index, regardless of their investment merits. Small and medium-capitalization companies tend to have more limited liquidity and greater price volatility than large-capitalization companies. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. The Morningstar Large Cap Index tracks the performance of U.S. large-cap stocks that represent the largest 70 percent capitalization of the investable universe. The Morningstar Mid Cap Index tracks the performance of U.S. mid-cap stocks that fall between 70th and 90th percentile in market capitalization of the investable universe. In aggregate the Mid-Cap Index represents 20 percent of the investable universe. Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC serves as the investment advisor, and Vident Investment Advisory serves as a sub advisor to the fund. The Funds are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co., which is not affiliated with Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC or any of its affiliates. Vident Financial has been licensed for use by Exchange Traded Concepts, LLC. FLAG Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, issued, sold, or promoted by Vident Financial, nor does this company make any representations regarding the advisability of investing in the FLAG Funds.

18 APPENDIX

19 FOUNDING INDEX CREATOR JOHN DEL VECCHIO, CFA What s Behind The Numbers? was co-authored by John Del Vecchio, founder and inspiration behind the Forensic Accounting Long-Short ETF (FLAG). John has over 15 years of equity long and short investment experience. Previously, John was a hedge fund manager for Ranger Alternative Management. He serves as co-founder and co-manager for the Active Bear ETF (HDGE), as well as the principal and founder of Parabolix Research, LLC. 19

20 VIDENT FINANCIAL Vident Financial is a financial services innovator that develops and licenses transparent investment market solutions (indices and funds) based on a distinct philosophy and rigorous global research. Since Vident was founded in 2013, it has collaborated with industryleading firms to establish three index strategies and ETFs. 19